


of strawberries and wishes...

by sunkissedcrow



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Character Study, Gen, featuring smol Tsukki and Akiteru and Yamaguchi hehe, only slightly, slightly angsty, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-27
Updated: 2016-09-27
Packaged: 2018-08-18 04:37:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8149337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkissedcrow/pseuds/sunkissedcrow
Summary: ...of brothers and friends.Tsukki’s birthdays throughout the years.





	

**Author's Note:**

> CAN’T BELIEVE I ALMOST MISSED MY FRENCH FRY SON’S BIRTHDAY, so I wrote this in a rush!
> 
> The number at the start of each section is Tuskki’s age.
> 
> (written for Tsukishima Week, prompt: “Happy Birthday”)

1

“Kei, Kei, look in the camera, honey,” his mother cooed, trying to get Kei to stop moving and look into the camera his father was holding.

Kei paused his shifting to blink owlishly at the silver rectangle in front of him. He pointed at its black reflective eye and turned back to his mother.

“No, honey, look,” his mother tried again and his father only laughed. But Kei only twisted uncomfortably in his high chair. He slapped his small hands on the white plastic table, entirely too close to the simple birthday cake in front of him.

“Wait, mom,” Akiteru said, “I got this! Kei listens to me.” He jumped off his chair and ran in front of Kei’s high chair.

“Rawr,” he said with a gleam in his eyes, and Kei instantly stopped to look at his brother with curiosity.

Their mother frowned. “Akiteru, what are you doing?” she asked.

“Just wait, mom, look,” Akiteru insisted. “Kei, _rawr_.” This time, he held up his hands near his chest, fingers curled slightly inwards to imitate claws.

Kei’s face brightened into a smile. He laughed. “Ra,” he tried to say.

“ _Rawr_ ,” Akiteru said again, taking slow steps backwards to where his father was standing with the camera.

“ _Ra!_ ” Kei squealed in excitement, breaking into giggles.

“Dad, take the picture when I sit down!” Akiteru said. He roared for the last time, getting another laugh out of his little brother, then ran back to his chair.

“He’s looking at the camera,” their mother remarked with surprise.

“I told you he listens to me,” Akiteru declared confidently.

His father snapped the picture with a laugh.

 

5

“That one,” Kei said, pointing at the white and pink cake in the second row of the cake display.

“Strawberry, Kei?” his mother asked behind him.

He nodded in response, eyes still glued to the cake as the shopkeeper carefully took the cake from the display and put it onto the counter. Akiteru stood beside him, eying the other cakes in the display.

"Now what kind of animal would you like on your chocolate name card, Kei-kun?" the shopkeeper asked with a smile. "You can have anything you want."

Kei's eyes widened. "Anything?" he asked, and the shopkeeper nodded. "Can I have a dinosaur?" Next to him, Akiteru exploded into laughter while his mother started to protest. Kei's cheeks flushed red. "I know it's not an animal," he said quickly, "but..."

The shopkeeper blinked. "Of course you can have a dinosaur," he said, "I'll do my best."

Kei smiled, nearly shaking with excitement. "Thank you!"

 

8

When he opened the door, Yamaguchi was looking at him with nervous wide eyes.

“Hey, Yamaguchi,” he greeted. “Hello ojisan, obasan."

“Hello, Kei-kun,” Yamaguchi’s mother replied, standing with her husband behind Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi sucked in a stiff breath, then shoved the wrapped box he was holding into Kei’s stomach. “ _HappybirthdayTsukkiThankyouforinvitingme I’msohappytobehere_ –"

“Tadashi,” Yamaguchi’s mother interrupted with a laugh, placing a hand on her son's shoulder. “Slow down, or Kei-kun won’t know what you’re saying."

Yamaguchi nodded frantically at his mother, then turned back to face Kei. “Sorry, Tsukki!” he apologized with a bow. “Uh, happy birthday!”

Just as Kei was about to reply, his brother appeared behind him with a hand on his shoulder.

“ ‘Tsukki’, huh?” he remarked with a teasing smile. “This must be little Yamaguchi Tadashi."  _Oh no._ “I’ve heard a lot about you, you know,” Akiteru continued.

Yamaguchi’s mouth dropped open. “You have?” he asked with wonder, shifting his gaze from Akiteru to Kei.

Kei elbowed his brother in the stomach subtlely, knowing Yamaguchi’s parents were right there in front of him. “Please, come in,” he said quickly. “My mom is bringing the cake out now."

 

11

He leaned forward, squeezed his eyes tight and blew out the candles.

Interhigh was exactly a month away, and Kei wished Karasuno would make it into Nationals with Akiteru as the team's ace.

When Kei opened his eyes, one candle remained flickering.

Yamaguchi gasped beside him. “Tsukki, you have to blew it out, quick!”

Kei blew out another breath, extinguishing the final candle.

“What did you wish for, Kei?” Akiteru asked.

Kei turned to his brother with a big smile. “Can’t tell you!” he said cheekily, “Or it won’t come true!”

Akiteru laughed. “Fair enough”, he said, reaching over and ruffling Kei's short blonde hair.

Kei's smile widened. His wish was going to come true. He just knew it.

 

12

“Here’s the cake you asked for,” his mother said, opening the square white box to reveal a small cake frosted with white icing. Around its edge were six strawberries, each nested on a dollop of icing, surrounding a pink translucent layer of strawberry jelly.

He didn’t need to cut open the cake to know that it was two layered, with a layer of pink icing in the middle of the short cake layers, because it was a cake he got every year for his birthday.

“Thanks mom,” he said, meeting his mother’s eyes.

“You’re welcome,” his mother replied with a knowing smile.

“Did they change the recipe of the jelly?” Yamaguchi asked, leaning forward to inspect the cake. “It seems like it’s in a darker color than last year’s."

Kei shrugged. “As long as it tastes just as good,” he replied, but scrutinized the difference as well. He made a mental note to ask the bakery about it the next time he went there to get a piece of shortcake.

Yamaguchi grinned. “That’s true,” he agreed. At the sight of their interaction, Yamaguchi’s parents smiled behind their son.

It was the same every year: the day, the cake, the people.

Except, of course, there was something different about his birthday this year.

Akiteru left for university four days ago, and Kei was glad he wasn’t there to celebrate his birthday with him.

Of course, he wasn’t about to admit this in front of his parents. Not when his mother is placing 12 candles on the cake carefully (six in between each strawberry, six in front of each strawberry in a smaller circle), not when his father is taking out his lighter and lighting the candles.

Kei was glad Akiteru wasn’t here, so he wouldn’t have to reminded of that dumb wish he wasted on his birthday last year.

Karasuno made it to Nationals of course, just not with his brother as the ace. Not even with his brother on the court.

“Hurry, Tsukki, make a wish!” Yamaguchi said, bringing him back to reality, the wavering candles on his cake, wax dripping closer and closer to the flawless surface of white and pink.

He leaned forward lightly, closing his eyes softly, and blew out all the candles in one swift breath.

For the first time in his life, and for the next 4 years, Kei did not make a wish.

That way he wouldn’t have to care about it coming true or not.

 

16

He didn’t know why he was even surprised at the confetti thrown into his face. After all, before Yamaguchi apologetically placed his hands under Kei's glasses, he had already mentioned they were going to the gym for Kei’s birthday surprise.

One second he was uncomfortably walking in darkness, the next he was pushed into the gym with his vision back.

“SURPRISE!” the whole of Karasuno exclaimed, with Tanaka and Nishinoya’s voice being the loudest.

Kei stood there, stunned, scanning his eyes across his party-hat wearing teammates. There was a banner that read “Happy Birthday Tsukishima” in the place where their

“Fly” banner was usually at.

“HWAH,” Hinata yelled. He pointed at him with a shocked expression. “Tsukishima’s surprised! We managed to surprise him!"

Kei instantly snapped his mouth shut, slipping his usual smirk onto his face. “Wasn’t that the goal from the beginning?” he asked mockingly, “Why are you surprised that it worked?"

“Because you–“ Hinata left his sentence incomplete with a frustrated yell, and Kei counted that as a victory.

Yamaguchi giggled behind him, walking forward to join the half circle Karasuno has formed around Kei and the gym entrance.

“Now now,” Daichi said, stepping forward. “Karasuno, one two three–"

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TSUKISHIMA!” they all yelled, and Kei took a step back instinctively, his mouth dropping open again.

He didn’t know why he was even surprised at this. He had heard Kageyama’s completely unsubtle questioning of what was supposed to happen on this day, raised an eyebrow at Yamaguchi’s fake excuses to stay behind after practice to paint the birthday banner with Yachi, even watched Asahi desperately try to cover up his slip ups about today.

He shouldn’t be surprised at the surprise, and he wasn’t.

He was surprised that his team actually had a surprise for him, just like the one they had for Hinata in June, and Narita in August.

Needless to say, his team in middle school didn’t do this. He wasn’t disliked, but he knew his teammates were a little afraid of him. He didn’t exactly invite display of affections like this with his towering height and sharp tongue.

“Tsukki,” Yamaguchi said lightly, stepping forward as well to look at him with concern.

Kei blinked. “I’m,” he started, taking in all the smiles on his teammates' faces. Even Kageyama had a soft smile on his lips. “Thank you,” he said politely, bowing awkwardly.

When he looked up, everyone looked just as surprised as he had felt.

Nishinoya was the one who broke the silence. “Tsukishima! Come over here!” he called, bouncing over with Hinata to pull him down for a hug. He struggled against the two smallest members of Karasuno, but his efforts were futile as Tanaka and Yamaguchi joined them in a larger embrace, then Yachi, Suga and Asahi, and eventually the rest of Karasuno.

He let his team hold him, his sour frown slipping into something akin to fondness.

It was a different kind of birthday, but he didn’t mind this one bit.

 

On the same night, after Yamaguchi and his parents left the Tsukishima household, Akiteru and him sat outside their house.

Akiteru bumped his shoulder against Kei's.

“Happy birthday, little brother.”

Kei scrunched his lip to a side. “Thanks,” he said, his tone as cool as breeze blowing by their dangling feet.

Akiteru shot him a look. “We haven’t spend your birthday together in a long time, Kei,” he said softly, “Is that all you have to say?"

“Is that why you refused to leave for university?” Kei retorted. “So you can spend my birthday with me?"

“Well, yes.” Akiteru admitted honestly. “Yes. That’s exactly why."

Kei averted his gaze again. “Thank you,” he tried again, “Niichan."

Akiteru smiled and ruffled his hair. “ _Better_ ,” he allowed with a teasing smile. "And I didn't  _refuse_ to leave, I'm just leaving later than usual."

Kei snorted. "Sure, sure," he said sarcastically.

Akiteru laughed softly. He raised his head to look at the thin moon in the sky, his smile turning soft. Kei found himself watching his brother for a moment, taking in how relaxed he seemed, how open and happy.

 "What did you wish for tonight?" Akiteru asked.

Raising his chin, Kei's gaze on his brother turned challenging. "How do you know I even made a wish?"

"Because I know you what you look like when you're serious," Akiteru responded, "And you looked like you were wishing for something tonight."

"Wishes are for children," Kei said, needlessly defiant.

"Say what you want..." his brother trailed off, shooting Kei a knowing look.

Kei looked down at his feet with a repressed smile. Well. Of course he wasn't going to admit that he wished for more birthdays with his brother. He wasn't going to admit he wished for more birthday with his teammates, with Yamaguchi, more birthdays regardless of whether they were the same or different.

And he definitely wasn't going to admit he wished for Karasuno to go to Nationals. That sort of thing was reserved for Hinata and Kageyama.

Not to mention, if he admitted all of that, none of them will come true.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!  
> my tumblr is [here](http://sunkissedcrow.tumblr.com) if you want to come an say hi or anything!  
> go look at all the cool stuff people made for [Tsukishima Week](http://tsukishimaweek.tumblr.com/)!


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